Twit101

Just as the title implies, there are quite a few Twitter add-ons for the Firefox web browser. The thing is, they all get you to the same basic finished product…posting an update.

Where they begin to differentiate themselves are the other features they offer. What it comes down to, is how many features you’d like in a browser add-on. Do you need something to make a quick post here and there? Do you want an update of @mentions or direct messages? The add-ons here offer a few different options, one will surely fit your needs.

Twitterbar

For a quickly posting a random thought while I’m surfing the web, I use Twitterbar. It let’s you post right from the Firefox address bar.

There is even a warning box that pops up just in case you accidentally hit the post button. This saves from posting a URL instead of something you want to tweet.

Friendbar

Friendbar is a tool bar kind of like a stock or sports ticker, except it displays your friends updates from both Twitter and Facebook. You can change it to display tweets from your friends, @mentions, Direct Messages (DMs) and a couple other options. Friendbar is the only one on this list offer access to Facebook. Depending on how many friends and followers you have and how often they update, it could get very distracting. The picture below is the window that displays the tweets.

Twitterfox

Twitterfox is another add-on which allows for fast posting with a couple added features, it’s the next progression from the Friendbar. Instead of a using the address bar or adding in another tool bar, Twitterfox is a small icon which sits in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window. While it doesn’t allow access to Facebook, this style window makes it easier to read the tweets in your timeline. You have access to your DMs and @mentions by selecting the tab at the bottom of the window.

Twitbin

Twitbin Sidebar allows a pop out sidebar with all the basic controls you would have on the Twitter main site. When open, the side bar shows the shows more information and options than the others. When closed, it hides up top with the rest of the icons and there is also a default icon in the status bar at the bottom right.

Twitkit

Twitkit is another Twitter sidebar very similar to Twitbin. The main feature I found which makes the two different, is Twitkit can be detached from the browser window. By detached, I mean, there is a little blue arrow in the top left corner and the sidebar appears to close the sidebar. It actually separates the sidebar making it into its own seperate window just behind the browser window.

So there you have it, 5 Firefox add-ons that do pretty much the same basic thing. Which one best fits your needs?